By
helping us frame meaning, metaphors provide us with a unique way of portraying
the world. The concept of metaphors for approaches to teaching has gained
support of educators and researchers alike. We'd like to collect more
information on this idea to continue the investigation. If you are, have
been, or are learning to be a teacher, we'd like to hear your metaphor
for teaching!

Metaphors
help us describe, visualize, and make sense of the world around us.
For example, a possible metaphor for the brain is a computer. The images
this metaphor creates help us to make sense of something complex --
many would consider the brain, like the computer, to have intelligence,
memory, and organization, and perhaps even to be user-friendly.

Teaching is also
something that is very complex. Metaphors offer a great way to help
create images for others of what teaching means to you. For example,
the metaphor of an octopus might evoke the image of a teacher with many
"arms" reaching out to the needs of many students; the metaphor
of a sheep herder might create the image of a teacher who is guiding
a "flock" of students in a particular direction; the metaphor
of a social director might form the image of a teacher who offers students
a wide range of activities to interest them; and the metaphor of a decathlete
might produce the image of a teacher who is required to be talented
in many events in order to be successful at his/her job. As you can
imagine, just as the role of a teacher changes though the day, so does
his/her metaphor. And, just as every teacher has his/her own style of
teaching, every teacher's metaphor for teaching is different.

Not only are metaphors
a wonderful way to portray your understanding of teaching to others,
they are a helpful way for you to focus on your own teaching style.
By studying your own teaching metaphors, you can reflect on the methods
and practices that accompany particular metaphors and how they impact
your classroom. Further, you may find that using a different metaphor
that you believe represents a new teaching style is an effective way
to implement change in your classroom.